Chow Hang-tung: Mitigation Statement

1. A 206-page judgment, which, when boiled down, simply says that pursuing democracy is a crime.

2. I do not believe any political party can secretly transfer the country's sovereignty, claim by itself that it is the choice of the people, claim by itself that it is the sole leadership, and then demand that everyone has a legal obligation to support its self-proclaimed throne. Such so-called laws are merely synonyms for tyranny.

3. Believing that dictatorship is wrong and democracy is right—if this is not a conviction, what is? Even if the courts and the government keep chanting the mantra, "we are not putting convictions on trial," it cannot alter the fact that under this judgment, those who believe in the idea of "ending one-party dictatorship" can no longer find a footing. In the eyes of such "laws," having this thought is already unconstitutional, illegal, and an original sin. Even if we are doing a completely legitimate thing, such as commemorating June 4th, it becomes a crime because of our "incorrect" thinking in itself.

4. But the law cannot control anyone's thoughts. Not only can it not control them, but when the law insists on opposing conscience, only the law will lose, and only the law will lose its legitimacy.

5. To be a human being, one must have a bottom line, and the law must have one too. The debate between democracy and dictatorship is one of the most important bottom lines, because there is no rule of law under a dictatorship. When the court completely hollows out the factual reasons, right and wrong, behind the emergence of the demand to "end one-party dictatorship," and only blindly emphasizes the will of the regime and the so-called duty to obey the law, it is actually as absurd as saying that those living under Nazi Germany had a duty to slaughter all Jews. Such a practice will only make the law lose its soul of manifesting justice and reduce it to a puppet driven by power.

6. It is precisely this attitude of asking no questions about right or wrong, but only about obedience, that caused one tragedy after another under Nazi and totalitarian rule. And whether it is the current courts or the state, they are walking down the same dangerous old path. Furthermore, with the advancement of technology and the enhancement of state power, and as the country becomes a recognized "great power," the current danger is only greater than it was back then.

7. As citizens, we have a responsibility to lock state power back into the cage of democracy, and fulfill our duty as masters of the nation to control and monitor it. Doing so is not only to seek justice for past harms but also to prevent greater disasters from happening again. Blindly feeding a state machine that we cannot control in the name of national security, and eroding humanity and conscience, will make a tragedy inevitable sooner or later.

8. Ending one-party dictatorship is an unavoidable responsibility for our generation, whether we are Hong Kongers or Chinese. This task must be completed by ourselves, can only be completed by ourselves, and no outsider can do it for us.

9. This is my sincere thought and conviction, and it is by no means my conviction alone—the 30 years of candlelight in Victoria Park have already proven this. "Ending one-party dictatorship" is the people's bottom line and a universal demand. When the law overestimates itself and tries to challenge it, it will only bring humiliation upon itself.

10. The court pretends that the issue is not the dissemination of ideas but the so-called spreading of enmity. However, the conviction of "ending one-party dictatorship" has never been maintained by any friend-or-foe mentality or the incitement of hatred. We only need to rely on reason and facts to gain the support of all sensible people.

11. Because dictatorship itself is already one of the greatest and most obvious injustices. It ignores the equality and autonomy of every individual, forces down an unreasonable order of rule, and reduces free citizens to choice-less slaves. Ending one-party dictatorship is simply reclaiming the dignity that human beings deserve, and this truth should be clear to anyone who is not pretending to be asleep.

12. Only those who cannot argue with reason must resort to mobilizing hatred all day long, which we do not need at all; only those who completely lack self-confidence will see enmity in everything, and we simply do not view the world that way. We have absolute confidence in what we believe and persist in. Just because dictatorship relies on hatred to maintain its rule does not mean everyone must adopt its methods, nor does it mean the world truly revolves around hatred. Conviction in equality and justice, and respect for humanity and truth, have always been stronger and more enduring forces than hatred.

13. Conviction is an existence that cannot be calculated or traded. Pleading or apologizing for everything one believes in is the most hypocritical thing, and it is an insult to everyone who holds the same conviction. Therefore, I will not do that, and I cannot do that. When even the butchers who massacred the city have not come forward to apologize, when is it our turn?! Even if the world is turned upside down, we should not apologize for the wrongs committed by the regime, making ourselves part of the inversion.

14. Regarding everything in the past, I refuse to use the language and concepts of crime to analyze how serious or not serious what we did was. If the court really wants some reference, it can ask the Office for Safeguarding National Security led by the Communist Party; they truly know how to look at efforts to fight for democracy and human rights with criminal eyes. They have even been saying without any avoidance that this case is of a serious nature and must be severely punished, completely oblivious to the fact that they are interfering with judicial independence. In any case, if the court ultimately rules that we fall under "serious circumstances," I will take it as a compliment to us, because it shows we have indeed achieved something.

15. Being able to find a mission one believes in and partners to fight alongside is the greatest happiness in life. Therefore, I do not regret at all the path I have walked together with the Alliance and the people of Hong Kong. I only feel sorry for the hardship brought upon my family and those who love me, and they are the only ones from whom I must beg forgiveness.

16. As for the future, whether inside or outside prison, I will continue to work, study, enrich myself, and make various attempts to release democratic activists, vindicate the 1989 democratic movement, hold accountable those responsible for the massacre, end one-party dictatorship, and build a democratic Hong Kong and China, until the day democracy arrives. This is a promise I have made publicly countless times. It is a solemn vow I made to the victims amidst the sea of candlelight, and I do not intend to be a person who breaks their word.

17. If doing so makes me a permanent criminal, and if the law truly cannot tolerate our convictions, then I would rather be a criminal than a person who betrays their conscience. I will walk with all Hong Kongers who refuse to accept their fate, and continue on this unfinished path of democracy.

18. Candlelight like the sea

People's hearts turning into waves

Crashing against the shore, shattered

Never resting until injustice is resolved

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